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The iPhone 11 is shaping up to be Apple’s most popular upgrade option in years

Published Oct 24th, 2019 4:29PM EDT
iPhone 11
Image: Zach Epstein for BGR

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After about two years of relatively stagnant iPhone sales, there’s reason to believe that Apple might see some sales growth thanks to the popularity of the company’s new iPhone 11 lineup. And though we won’t know for sure — thanks to Apple’s recent decision to no longer disclose quarterly iPhone sales — there’s mounting evidence that consumers are really flocking to the iPhone 11.

According to a new research report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), Apple’s iPhone 11 models — a lineup which includes the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max — accounted for 20% of all new iPhone sales during the September quarter. That may not seem impressive at first glance, but bear in mind that the iPhone 11 was only available for two weeks during the quarter.

It certainly stands to reason that the allure of Apple’s iPhone 11 lineup is far greater than what we saw with last year’s iPhone lineup. Indeed, you can make a strong case that the iPhone 11 represents the most intriguing iPhone upgrade we’ve seen in quite some time, thanks in large part to Night mode.

From within the iPhone 11 lineup, CIRP notes that the entry-level iPhone 11 accounted for about 50% of sales. Interestingly, the iPhone XR “accounted for 36% of US iPhone sales during the quarter,” which is to say that consumers are definitely gravitating towards Apple’s more budget-friendly iPhone models.

“iPhone 11 represented half of the sales of the three newly launched iPhone models,” CIRP co-founder Josh Lowitz said. “Combined with iPhone XR, which was similarly positioned in the line-up and shares many of the same features, these two models account for almost half of US iPhone sales in the quarter.”

“The premium priced iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max models together represent 10% of sales, and 21% when combined with similarly positioned and recently discontinued iPhone XS and XS Max,” Lowitz added. “It seems that iPhone customers consumers have a greater appetite for the historic flagship priced phone, with fewer paying up for the new top-of-the-line models.”

On a related note, word emerged a few weeks back that the iPhone 11 was selling so well that Apple decided to boost production by as many as 8 million units as pre-orders exceeded expectations.

Yoni Heisler Contributing Writer

Yoni Heisler has been writing about Apple and the tech industry at large with over 15 years of experience. A life long expert Mac user and Apple expert, his writing has appeared in Edible Apple, Network World, MacLife, Macworld UK, and TUAW.

When not analyzing the latest happenings with Apple, Yoni enjoys catching Improv shows in Chicago, playing soccer, and cultivating new TV show addictions.